Authentic Orange

Submitted by Geoffrey Bishop

Congrats! You graduated High School and are now on your way to Oregon State University. I can assure you that you have made the right choice of schools in the State of Oregon! Before you get Corvallis, I’d like to give you a few pointers on how to “Be Orange!” We want you to be as authentic as you can and this intro to OSU will help you do that!

You might be asking yourself, “What does it mean to authentically Be Orange?” Authenticity, simply put, is truth. Truth has been said to be “A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms” (Nietszche, Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense). The act of being true to one’s own self defines an authentic person. So, the easiest way to be “authentic” is to be you. Oregon State is a great place to find out who you are by exploring the many options and experiences of this great University.

“Be Orange” is not a demand but a way of life. Here at Oregon State, we tell ourselves that we “Bleed Orange”. So, if we substitute the word “orange” with yourself, the term “Be Orange” becomes “Be Yourself”. Some tips are as follows:

Tip One: Do what you enjoy. This is your life and you have to make the shots! However, you may have to change and follow at times so you can live in society. For some of you, college may have been expected, while others, they might be the first in their family to attend Higher Education. Either way, as our society evolves, so do the standards of living, asking for more people to attend college.

Tip Two: Make new friends! Oregon State University is one of the friendliest places and everyone is just waiting to be your friend. While making new friends, try and find some that like you for you. Always remember that it’s ok for yourself and someone else to be independent. “Do what you must, come what may.” (The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir 1947.) It’s the idea of “You get what you put in”. If you want to hang out with 20 people at all times, that’s fine! And if you want to hang out by yourself, that’s perfect to! It’s all about doing what makes you happy.

Tip Three: This is your life, and you are the main character! Everything you do can have two sides or outlooks. Think about the Myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was required to roll a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down, making him roll it back up again. However, Sisyphus believed he controlled the outcome because if he let go of the rock, it would roll back down and if he kept going; he would make it to the top one again. If you approach a task as a punishment, you’ll have a horrible time and it will be a punishment. But, if you approach it with the idea that you are in control of the outcome; you will be more proud of the finished product.

            As we look back as these few tips about being yourself, we see a trend. You are the driver of your own life. You have to be in control and allow yourself to be ok with the outcomes of life because they are the consequences of your own actions. I hope this will help you transition into a new school! Good Luck!

Submitted by: Benjamin Herzog

“What does it mean to Be Orange?” is a relatively easy question to answer. Anybody who attends Oregon State University, works for OSU, or is involved with OSU in anyway shape or form can ‘Be Orange’. However, what does it mean to be authentically ‘Be Orange’? This is a harder question to answer, as it could mean one hundred different things to one hundred different people. According to Sartre, authenticity “isn’t just being honest to others about your feelings. It is being honest to yourself about your own desires and the reasons behind your actions” (Lecture, 5-26-15). But what does this have to with being orange? Sartre’s definition of authenticity is something we should expect from everybody, not just people that are orange. This also plays into Sartre’s viewpoint on ethics where he explains that when choosing for one’s self, one chooses for all humans (Lecture, 5-21-15). Being a part of the OSU community, it is important to follow this belief as, your own actions will have a profound effect on others around you.

Perhaps the most difficult task when trying to authentically be orange is standing out in a crowd. With over 24,000 active students it can be hard to be seen as an individual. This also brings up the issue of people actively trying to blend in with the crowd or becoming a part of the “herd”, as Nietzsche describes it. As Nietzsche describes, being a part of a large herd we are seen as a single person and lose our individuality (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, pg. 130). In doing so we give up our authenticity and adopt morals and traits that may not be our own (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, pg. 116-119). Avoiding this can be difficult for many people, as it is only natural to desire to be accepted by your peers. Sometimes for many people this is obtained easiest by becoming a part of their herd and adopting their morals, traits, like and dislikes. This ties into Sartre’s definition of authenticity where one must be true to oneself and to others; being a part of a herd breaks both of these rules.

Kierkegaard agrees with this point, stating that the crowd is “untruth, and makes the individual irresponsible” (Lecture, 5-5-15) When one is part of a herd it is easy to pass off one’s responsibilities onto somebody else, further diminishing their authenticity. Being a part of a herd also may make somebody do something they normally wouldn’t do. This can be a big deal when some of these actions are unethical. This also ties into Sartre’s definition of authenticity where in order for one to be authentic they must be honest with themselves and others. “since the individual is defined only by his relationship to the world and to other individuals; he exists only by transcending himself, and his freedom can be achieved only through the freedom of others” (Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity). Beauvoir believes that freedom can only be achieved through the freedom of others. If freedom is being authentic, and to be authentic one must be honest with oneself and others, then true freedom and authenticity can only be achieved when everybody is honest with others.

Obviously something like that probably isn’t going to happen anytime soon. However, in the time being we can still try to be authentic as possible. Treat others the way you want to be treated, be honest with yourself and to others and don’t get stuck in the crowd. Being a part of a group itself is fine, but don’t let the group change who you are or affect any decisions you make. You are a result of your actions so don’t let other people make decisions for you (Lecture, 5-12-15). All in all, being authentically orange is to be a beaver and everything being a beaver involves, but also being yourself, being an individual not defined by the people they associate themselves with and making their own decisions that aren’t influenced by others. Go Beavs!

Submitted by Lucy Pletman

Authenticity can mean many different things to different people, but is defined as the act of being true to oneself and acting and presenting oneself in accordance to your own individual beliefs. Philosophically being authentic can take on a much deeper meanings; Kierkegaard defined it as finding your own truths and meaning in life through an individual relationship with god and not the through the crowd, Nietzsche believed it to be not allowing the power of the majority to think for you and to decide your own morals and existential truths and lastly Heidegger believed it can be choosing to take a step back from our everyday reality in the large collective body of people to look at ourselves and our lives in relationship to our unavoidable death.

To me authenticity is arguably a combination of these; authenticity is like Kierkegaard said a matter of finding ones truth, “Truth is harder to get as an individual of a crowd because you either defer responsibilities of finding truth to the crowd or let the crowd make choices for you” (Lecture 5/5/2015). However, truth like Nietzsche says isn’t through god, and religion can be seen as a sickness because it is another form of grouping people together and when grouping others together the thoughts and behaviors of an individual are put below those of the groups and the pressure to conform doesn’t allow you to be authentic to yourself. He says in the gay science “By means of morality, individuals are led to be functions of the herd and to attribute value to themselves merely as functions”(Nietzsche, The Gay Science, pg. 116). So in order to be authentic to oneself one must not look at themselves as a function of a group but as an individual. An unavoidable fact of like that Nietzsche and Kierkegaard miss however is, “People and the crowd are an unavoidable component of human existence” (Lecture 5/5/2015). Knowing that collective bodies of people and being a part a group is an unavoidable obstacle to becoming an individual within your community.

So with that being said it is arguable that all of these philosophers are right in different ways, but they are all wrong as well. If the core idea of being authentic to oneself is finding your own truths, than the truth behind the definition of being authentic is entirely subject to an individual. With this idea it is important to note however, that even though every definition of truth and authenticity is different for an individual, being authentic to oneself is something completely subjective and should be decided on as an individual. The struggle behind being authentic to oneself today comes from the fact that like Heidegger said we are unavoidably a collective group of people, and it is much easier to differ the responsibility of deciding what our existential truths our and the true meaning of our being to the collective group of others. However, how can you be authentic to yourself if you just choose to believe and follow the truths of others? “A crowd is indeed made up of single individuals; it must therefore be in everyone’s power to become what he is, a single individual: no one is prevented from being a single individual, no one, unless he prevents himself by becoming many” (Kierkegaard, The Crowd Is Untruth, pg. 3). Even though no individual is prevented from being an individual, finding truth and meaning in life is an obstacle that cannot be given.

This is the reason that Nietzsche believes that god is untruth, “Even being able to say that religion can be interpreted takes away from the truth of it, and if religion is a human construct then there is no absolute truth” (Lecture 04/28/2015). In saying that religion is a human construct means that it could be constructed in many different ways. Meaning there is no absolute meaning of truth, which goes back to the fact that truth and meaning are subjective and absolute truth is something you choose. So those that choose to believe that god is absolute truth have made the choice to believe in another constructed idea of truth, but the truth they have chosen to believe in is not one of their own, their meaning and beliefs are given to them. Ultimately however, those around us and their beliefs are unavoidable and finding what it means to be authentic to oneself means you have to take a step back from the group to decide what your meanings and truths are.

Recognizing our unavoidable death in order to help us realize what it means to be authentic and the importance of living this short subjective experience of life true to who we are is a truth in defining what it means to you, to be orange.

Submitted by Trevor Whitaker
To be authentic to oneself is to achieve the ability to be an individual, separated and distinct from the crowd or group of people that one is a part of. To be able to be comfortable with standing out or not fitting in takes a level of self-actualization that few possess. This is a very important idea to talk about at a university, especially one as large as Oregon State because it becomes so easy for us to become lost in the “they”, the “herd”, or the “crowd” (lecture 5/5). What we should attempt to do is to have the ability to be Orange—that is to be a contributing member of the Oregon State community—while still maintaining our authenticity.
The path of least resistance when we are a part of a large community is to conform, to be like everyone else. “The crowd… in its very concept—is untruth” (Kierkegaard, The Crowd is Untruth, pg. 1). This is the general consensus among philosophers, although each words it differently, that to be just one piece of a larger working mechanism is harmful to oneself—an act that is not in good faith (lecture 5/21). The “herd” as Nietzche calls it, can only do us harm. When we become part of the herd, we give up our own authenticity and adopt the morals and traits that are not our own (Nietzche, The Gay Science, pg. 116-119). At the university we are presented with a problem however: it is such a critical time in our lives that the desire to be likable and thus have the ability to form relationships and connections pushes us into this herd mentality—we start to think that the only way to be accepted is to fit in and conform. What we don’t realize is that we have the ability to be likable by just being ourselves. Being distinct while not the most easy thing we can do ensures our that we keep our identity and freedom in the crowd (lecture 5/7). When we are all able to achieve a level of authenticity within the Oregon State community, we promote more diverse and well-rounded thinking. This introduces new ideas and new thinking into our community that while still allowing us to act and be as a whole (to be orange) we are able to foster understanding and love of all walks of life and all different methods of thinking. Not only are we helping ourselves as individuals by being authentic, but we are contributing something to a community that helps society as a whole. In contrast, if we conform to what everyone else is doing we become self-conscious and unaccepting, and it leaves the door open to hate and prejudice. In doing this we can understand what it means to really be authentically orange. It is very possible for every member of the Oregon State community to “be orange” while everyone is just a slightly different shade of orange. If we can apply the thinking of the great minds of existentialist thinkers, we will all be able to be distinct while enhancing the life and well-being of our community and society.

Kylie Titus

Philosophy 150

Final Exam

Authenticity in my opinion is defined as one still being able to be themselves and expressing who they are while still being absorbed in everyday life and experiences. Being able to be authentic is an important part of becoming an individual and growing as a person. The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvior states in the first paragraph that, “since the individual is defined only by his relationship to the world and to other individuals; he exists only by transcending himself, and his freedom can be achieved only through the freedom of others” It is hard to be oneself when it is so easily to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and not letting that influence you, but who you are as an individual is only determined by your actions and how you see the world and your peers.

Becoming an individual today’s society is very difficult. Everyone has such high expectations of everyone. Even if one does something a little bit out of the ordinary or doesn’t follow a certain trend, they will get ridiculed and judged and be thought of as “weird” or “different”. Especially with the use of social media, if somebody posts something that bothers someone else or just seems like something weird to post, everybody starts to talk badly about the person that posted it and associates a certain judgment right away with that individual. People are expected to follow society and do as they are told. What even is considered normal anyway? No one really has a way of knowing; everyone just feels the need to follow everybody else. If a person expresses who they are and stands out in anyway at all, people just judge and talk smack. They expect everyone to be normal and follow “society’s rules” while trying to become successful because if they don’t, they will go nowhere in life. I am guilty of judging others as well and I am not proud of that, but I also know that I have been judged myself for wanting to do certain things or wearing certain clothing. Being authentic here at Oregon State is easy for some people and others not so much. We have a very diverse campus so I see a lot of cultured people wearing different clothing and expressing who they are as individuals and I think that is awesome. Many others however just play follow the leader.

Many of the themes covered in class have to do with being authentic. The existential theme number 1 is Existence precedes essence. This talks about how you become who you make yourself to be. What you are is a result of your actions and thoughts, (5-12-15 ppt). Everyone has a different view of certain people. If its one thing I have learned, its that not to take things personally because whatever someone says to you or how one may act towards you is because of who they are, not who you are. The Look: other objectifies who you are by watching you and listening to you. 1^st person is being for itself and being in itself while 3^rd person is being in itself or object. (5-5-15 ppt). Are we all just objects or subjects? What does our existence really mean? Its up to us to make a meaningful life and being authentic is a big part of that. We all have the freedom to create and choose are own values (5-26-15 ppt). Existential theme number 3 is humanism, which is an individual focused philosophy and the pursuit of identity and freedom and our values and meaning in opposed to social, political and economic pressure for conformity. (5-10-15 ppt). There is so much pressure in the social, political and economical world to be perfect and live up to everyone’s expectations. But humanism in my opinion is known to focus on being your own individual and having your own identity and freedom. Kierkegaard states that the crowd is untruth, which makes the individual unrepentant and irresponsible. (5-5-15 ppt). This means that when following the crowd and trying to satisfy everyone’s needs and wants while ignoring our own values and beliefs one might lose ones authentic self. I feel as if being orange means you are standing out as who you want to be while everyone else who just sticks with what they know and follows everyone is just a boring gray. Being orange is the true color of authenticity.

Submitted by Mollie Handkins.

Arguably, authenticity can take an innumerable amount of forms, depending on the opinions of he or she whom one may be asking. Authenticity can plainly be seen as the clichéd idea of being true to yourself. However, philosophically speaking, authenticity goes immensely deeper than simply being yourself. It can mean defying the thoughts and unwelcomed ideas of others in an attempt to stand your own ground. It can mean seeking the truth behind all of the accepted meanings we find in this world or in the existential world. Authenticity can further be defined as the pursuit of identity and freedom. However, despite the aforementioned ideas, authenticity can truly only be defined by the individual him or herself.

Judgment and expectations can indisputably be seen as the largest obstacle that one might encounter within his or her community. Expectations such as achieving a certain GPA, acceptance into a professional school, pressures to drink, and many more, are specifically heavily forced upon the students here at Oregon State University. Further, while attempting to relieve or exceed some of those expectations, one will almost definitely come across the judgments of others. Regardless of how hard one may try to control the effects that those judgments have on their emotions and their own authenticity, it is nearly impossible to ignore the negative outcomes that judgment, whether real or imagined, places in all of our lives. While experiencing the initial sense of freedom and individuality that college allows us, it can still be difficult to maintain a true sense of authenticity. Regardless of how we all might see high school as a prison full of judgment and a lack of individuality, some of that can still seep into our lives in college. The perilous combination of both judgment and exceedingly high expectations can especially weigh down our hopeful sense of authenticity. However, it is entirely in our own control as to whether or not we allow the opinions and frightening hopes of others heave our authenticity out and away from us.

In conquering the inevitable judgment and high expectations that are awaiting all of us in every step we take in life, we must combat and maintain our authenticity. While dealing with the human obstacles that we are likely to face, we must remember: “the individual is defined only by his relationship to the world and to other individuals” (Beauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity). Sure, it may seem to be the easier path to revolt against those who challenge our authenticity, but the more rewarding path that allows us to uphold our hopeful identity further challenges us to be the so-called better person and to disallow others’ negative ideas and opinions to stand in our way. Furthering the argument for maintaining our ethical being in the search for authenticity, it can be said that: “ethical considerations are shared commitment to authentic living, as individuals and society” (Lecture, 5/7/15). In my opinion, it is only through the interactions and experiences with others that we find our true authenticity. Therefore, in searching for our own identity, we must remember that others too are on the same journey. As Fanon argued, “dehumanization is the refusal to recognize humanity” (Lecture, 5/19/15). The importance of embracing our own and others’ flawed humanity can truly not be stressed enough. However, while we should welcome experience with others, we cannot let it sway our pursuit for identity and freedom. Kierkegaard argues: “ the crowd is untruth… makes individual ‘unrepentant and irresponsible” (Lecture, 5/5/15), which can be interpreted as him saying that when we allow our truths and our attempted authenticity to be dictated by the needs, wants, and opinions of others, we truly lose ourselves. We are the only ones who can decide our fate, our authenticity, and our experience. While it is important to have the loving and guiding spirits of others, we hold ourselves to be who we truly are. In summary, “you become who you make yourself to be” (Lecture, 5/21/15).

Being Orange truly cannot be rigidly defined; it can only be loosely said that it is imperative that we believe in our own authenticity and do not stray from the path on the pursuit of our own identity and freedom.

Submitted By: Aubrey Hills.

I don’t think there is a way to authentically “Be Orange.” Bad faith is, as we discussed in lecture, lying to yourself or someone else about something. Examples of acting in bad faith would be denying transcendence or facticity (Lecture, 5/26/15). If you think about it, trying to fit students into a box of “Being Orange” or “Being a Beaver” is denying both transcendence and facticity. In my opinion, trying to authentically “Be Orange” is a form of bad faith.

The idea that one can authentically “Be Orange” is denying transcendence. Transcendence is the idea of one’s existence beyond the normal or physical level (Lecture, 5/26/15).  If I were to say that I am currently living “Authentically Orange” I would be lying to myself because I only joined an institution that others has joined before me and other will join after me. Nothing is personal or special about going to a higher level of education in school at this particular institution.

The idea that one can authentically “Be Orange” also denies facticity. By trying to authentically “Be Orange” I am denying that I am not technically affiliated with the institution of OSU. Yes I do pay tuition here and I am a student with finals and summer classes but I just as easily could have been a student at the University of Oregon, paying tuition there and writing an essay on what it means to “Bleed Yellow and Green.” By saying that I live authentically “Orange” I am lying to myself about who I am without an outside institution that educates me and takes my money.

Simone de Beauvoir says in The Ethics of Ambiguity that authenticity is man having the power to lay down “the foundations of his own existence” (Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity, conclusion). Just from this I already see flaws in the idea that there is a way to authentically “Be Orange”. For one, everyone that goes to OSU all the way back to the first class of students obviously was not involved in the founding of the university, therefor they did not lay the foundation of his or her existence within the schooling setting.

An obstacle to becoming an individual in the Orange community of Oregon State University can be explained using the idea that Nietzsche had about herds that we talked about in lecture. If Oregon State University is thought of as a single community as it generally is then everyone involved in the community is just part of the herd. As discussed in lecture, there is no way to become an individual while in a herd unless one escapes the herd and becomes a true individual on his or her own (Lecture, 5/28/15). If a student of faculty member at OSU wants to be authentic in his or her identity, he or she has to acquire the conviction to break free of the herd that is the university institution and find a distinct identity without the comfort and support that is always constant in the university environment. The ability to break free from the herd, or in Kierkegaard’s view, the crowd, is diminished and weakened because the crowd makes the individual irresponsible and unrepentant (Lecture, 5/5/15). So the deeper one is enveloped into the crowd the harder it is for one to break free and find what makes them authentic to themselves. Basically stated, the more one tries to authentically “Be Orange”, the harder it will become for one to be authentic to themselves. That is why authentically “Being Orange” is not possible.

Submitted by Jenna Nilsen

Oregon State University students are all part of one large community. This community is known as the “Oregon State” community, or, the “Orange” community. What students do as a whole, defines the community. But what they do individually, defines them as individuals. One would hope that each and every student would live authentically for themselves, even within such an enormous group. To live authentically, is when a person lives, while remaining true to their own character, spirit, and freedom of choices, despite any societal pressures, which attempt to persuade them to do otherwise.

To be an individual, people first have to realize, or become aware of, their own individuality. This can be one of the first obstacles in becoming an individual, because, as people ‘grow up’, they also have to learn how to become an individual (Lecture 11, 5/5/15). It is after this realization, that people are officially “condemned to be free” (Lecture 17, 5/26/15). They can choose to conform to the majority of society, or they can choose to challenge it. With this decision, people choose to either ‘be for themself’, or to ‘be for others’. In other words, people choose to be who they want to be, or who society tells them they should be. However, to live authentically would mean that one would mainly ‘be for themself’, despite potentially being judged, with however that applies to them.

Another obstacle that people often face is feeling as though they are just “part of a herd” (Lecture 11, 5/5/15). In other words, they are the same as everybody else around them. Almost all students at Oregon State University go to class every day, do their homework, dress in similar fashion trends, and act in a similar, somewhat reserved manner while walking the campus. This could potentially give some people the feeling of just “blending in” with everyone around them. While people often feel a strong need to be a part of a group, it is also still possible to express individuality within a group. It is a choice whether or not someone decides, or attempts to, blend in. The key for authenticity, is for people to discover, and embrace, what makes them different than everyone around them. What makes their rock, much like that of Sisyphus, different from everyone else’s? (Lecture 2, 4/7/15). However, standing out also comes with greater responsibility (Lecture 11, 5/5/15). It is the responsibility of people having to own who they are, and what makes them different.

People often avoid, or hide from, who they truly are, in order to ‘fit in’ with others around them. These people who choose to run from their true selves, are considered to be of bad faith (Lecture 18, 5/28/15). They have bad faith by trying to resolve any tension within their existence, with conformity. These people deny their own transcendence, or in other words, who they really are, or want to be. They are in denial with themselves, have yet to find their individuality, and do not want to accept the responsibility that comes with being an individual.

To be “authentically orange”, is choosing to live a specific lifestyle within the Oregon State community. It is individuals choosing to do what speaks to them the most, despite what any other students choose. Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “If a voice speaks to me, it is only I who must decide whether or not the voice I hear is that of an angel” (Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism). In relation to Oregon State students, they are all faced with their own freedom. It is only they who can choose to live an authentic life, or to not. It is only they who can decide whether the voice that speaks to them, telling them who they truly are, is that “of an angel”, or that which should be ignored.